NBA tells sportsbooks to stop certain bets, restrict parlays - ESPN

The NBA is prohibiting certain types of bets this season, including a player prop parlay used by gamblers in recent betting scandals, according to a league memo distributed to sportsbook partners Friday.

Bettors will not be able to include the under on the same player's statistics in parlays, in addition to other betting markets the league considers problematic, according to the memo, which was obtained by ESPN.

The league also directed its authorized gaming operators, including DraftKings and FanDuel, not to offer bets on the winner of the opening tip, players to miss specific shots and under bets on players who are expected to play fewer than 12 minutes in a specific game.

The NBA has the authority to restrict what partner sportsbooks offer through its agreements. The NBA estimates its partner sportsbooks account for upward 99% of the U.S. betting market.

«There's a balance between ensuring that we are removing problematic bet types but also ensuring that we don't just move activity into the illegal market,» NBA executive vice president Scott Kaufman-Ross told ESPN. «And where we landed right now, we think, is the right balance of those two objectives.»

Parlay bets on a single player's unders appeared in the federal cases involving NBA players Jontay Porter and Terry Rozier.

Porter admitted in court that he intentionally removed himself from games early to benefit bettors while he was on a two-way contract with the Toronto Raptors during the 2023-24 season.

In the criminal complaint, federal prosecutors said one of the bettors charged in the scheme placed an $80,000 parlay on the under on Porter's assists, rebounds, points, 3-pointers, steals and blocks for a March 2024 game between the Raptors and Sacramento Kings